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ExMod > Vehicles

Modern Drive Systems

This system is meant to be a (mostly) original standalone rules-light stunt-able system. It is written with the purpose of being a modular answer to the problem of having no extant Drive systems in the Exalted setting - if you like it, perhaps it can even be used to describe more medieval concepts, such as chariot races and such. I tried to keep it short and sweet; in the interests of that goal, on to the system...

An Example vehicle... 

 Name          Acc    Res    Mob    Frm   Spd    Cap    Cnd               Cost
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Ford Explorer  +2     +2     +3     8L     F      M    3 x -0, 3 x -1,    ***
                                                        4 x -2, 6 x -4,
                                                        Totaled

The various vehicle statistics...

  • Acc - Acceleration; this statistic is added to a Dexterity + Wits pool to determine vehicle initiative. Additionally, it is the measure of how many speed factors a vehicle may translate to in one turn when speeding up or slowing down.
  • Res - Response; this statistic is added to all Dexterity + Drive rolls involving maneuvering a vehicle in question. This statistic is speed-based, and increases or decreases relevant to which speed the vehicle is presently at.
  • Mob - Mobility; the Drive Ability (and only the Drive Ability) is added to this statistic in order to determine the harshest sort of terrain the vehicle can cross. Each terrain is rated from 0 up, with a well-paved highway being a Terrain 0 surface. If the Terrain exceeds this Drive + Mobility total, the terrain is too difficult to pass. If the terrain matches or exceeds the Mobility of the vehicle, but not the paired Drive + Mobility total, subtract -2 from all Dexterity + Drive rolls involving the difficult terrain.
  • Frm - Frame; This statistic indicates both the soak of the vehicle and the damage it deals in collisions. The bashing soak of the vehicle is always double its lethal soak granted by the Frame statistic.
  • Spd - Speed; the five basic speeds common in the Modern world are: VS = Very Slow (0-10 MPH) / S = Slow (10-30 MPH) / A = Average (30-60 MPH) / F = Fast (60-100 MPH) / VF = Very Fast (100-150 MPH). The statistic listed on the vehicle's stat block is its maximum speed - a vehicle may freely move through as many speed brackets per turn as it has points of Acceleration. Speed modifies a vehicle's Response, Mobility, and damage dealt by the Frame stat. Generally, bonuses are given for these stats at low speeds, and penalties (usually larger) are given for high speeds. Damage is an exception - at low speeds, momentum reduces damage from collisions; at high speeds, it increases it. Storytellers are invited to add in more speed brackets if they wish faster vehicles in their games. The table is fairly linear - just increase the penalties and bonuses by two each speed factor.
  • Cap - Capacity; S = Single (one driver, no passengers or equivalent cargo) / L = Low (one driver, one or two passengers or equivalent cargo) / M = Medium (one driver, three to seven passengers or equivalent cargo) / H = High (one driver, no more than eleven passengers or equivalent cargo) / C = Commercial (one driver, anywhere from eleven passengers in a small bus to forty-one passenger's worth of cargo in a semi). Vehicles may carry extra cargo over this limit, but for every individual over the limit, the vehicle's maximum speed factor goes down once.
  • Cnd - Condition; These are the health levels of the vehicle. They represent its general upkeep and performance. As a vehicle is damaged, its performance decreases by way of the penalties normally associated with health loss. Once a month, if a vehicle is not taken care of, it permanently loses a level of Condition which may only be replaced by tuning it up and engaging in a few minor repairs.

Speed Table 

 Spd        MPH    Res    Mob    Dmg
 -----------------------------------
  VS       5-10     +2     +2    -2L
   S      10-30     +1     +1    -1L
   A      30-60     +0     +0    -0L
   F     60-100     -2     -2    +2L
  VF    100-150     -4     -4    +4L

Vehicle Combat
There are a few simple points to illustrate for vehicle combat. Unless otherwise noted, vehicle combat is treated exactly as other forms of combat between characters. There is an initiative, the players take turns, damage is dealt and recieved, and so on. The key differences are listed below.

  • Every time a vehicle does damage with its Frame statistic, it takes damage equal to the soak of the surface it hit. If this is another vehicle, the damage taken is from the opposing Frame stat. The speed table modifies damage only - impacts at F or VF speeds tempt fate.
  • Drivers must split their pools to include a Drive action in order to stay on the road and out of any accidental harm, in addition to any attacks they make. This means that if a driver wishes to slam into the vehicle next to him, he must first make a roll to keep driving, and then make a roll to drive into his target.
  • Midtraffic (and other thick terrain) navigation/evasion is Dexterity + Drive; this is also the basic dodge roll for vehicle encounters.
  • If a vehicle takes damage, and the post-soak dice are equal or greater than the defender's Drive + Mobility, vehicle veers off-course. In order to return to combat, the defender must make a roll to regain control. This is a Wits + Drive roll, difficulty equal to half the raw damage.
  • If a vehicle takes damage, and the post-soak dice total more than double the defender's Drive + Mobility, then the vehicle veers so off course that it crashes into a nearby stationary surface. All passengers must soak lethal damage dice equal to what the vehicle took, in addition to any damage from the impacted stationary surface that exceeds the vehicle's frame. Passengers and drivers both may make a Wits + Dodge roll to reduce damage dice. One damage die is lost for every success made on this roll.
  • Just a reminder: whenever damage is dealt, it is also taken. Both parties of a collision must take damage. If a wall or other solid surface is hit, it does its lethal soak in damage to a vehicle - and any damage that exceeds the vehicle's frame must be soaked by all passengers of the vehicle.
  • Extras in crashes die if they fail the Wits + Dodge roll.

Other Complications...

  • Tailing involves a Wits + Drive roll each turn to maintain stealth, and a Perception + Awareness roll each turn to keep sight. If the tailed party suspects they are being followed, they may make a Perception + Awareness roll to oppose any stealth attempts.
  • Chasing involves opposed Dexterity + Drive rolls; both subjects much match speed (Perception + Drive to determine what speed factor someone is at). If the pursuer cannot match their target's speed, the difference between velocity factors is subtracted from the pursuit successes each round.
  • Repairs involve making a Wits + Crafts (Mechanics specialty applies) roll, difficulty equal to the condition levels the mechanic is attempting to return to the vehicle - each success counts for one level returned. Generally, the price to pay professionals to do this is Resources * per two levels of condition. In the instance of totaled vehicles, it's usually cheaper to just buy a new one.

Point Based Vehicle Creation

Resources Cost

  • 1: 10 points,
  • 2: 15 points,
  • 3: 20 points,
  • 4: 25 points,
  • 5: 30 points.

Points may be spent on a 1-for-1 basis for...

  • Acceleration,
  • Response,
  • Mobility,
  • Frame (lethal; bashing is automatically calculated from this),
  • Each factor of Speed except VS; VS is free,
  • Each factor of Capacity except S; Single is free.

For every point of bashing frame (twice the points spent on lethal frame) on the vehicle, it gains one condition point. Condition points may be spent at the following rate:

  • Two points for every -0 level; -0 levels may never exceed -1 levels,
  • One point for every -1 or -2 level; -1 levels may never exceed -2 levels; -2 levels may never exceed -4 levels,
  • One point for every two -4 levels..